there probably are people out there with logical, well reasoned arguments against obama from the right, but they are drowned out by the idiots crying "communist!" "socialist!" "moose-lim!", and of course the unabashedly racist tweets that we all saw, calling obama "monkey" and "nigg*r"

i have plenty of things i don't like about obama and his policies, i disagreed with gary johnson on very few issues and thought he was the best candidate, but i think that my complaints about obama are logical and informed: he renewed the patriot act, he didn't close guantanamo, he has approved federal intervention into medical marijuana states, he let wall st. get away with theft on a grand scale, and IMHO he was far too willing to seek compromise from a republican house who were dead set on stalemate no matter what. they claimed that he "pushed" obamacare through, despite him spending far too much time negotiating with a group who had no intention of negotiating at all.

compare those criticisms with "communist" & "socialist" (wtf, do they even know what those words mean?) i won't even go into the racist tweets, other than to say that bill o'reilly found a way to say the same things while avoiding the actual words.

The issues you pointed out were the same issues I had problems with as well. I just feel that he did some of the things I had hoped for and decided that we might fare better than we would have under the alternatives.

IMO, mandated private insurance is the 2nd to worst thing...after people not having it.

BINGO!; this goes to my constant bitch about 'a lesser of two evils'. Obamacare is A plan, not necessarily THE plan, but we gotta start somewhere.

Originally Posted by bobyclumsyninja

America needs to see a doctor. It's a mecca for art, and innovation, but hideously unhealthy, on average.

I know I will catch a heat-seeker for stating my views on obesity and tobacco use, but here goes (IMHO). Parents who allow their children to become overweight (morbidly obese) should be charged criminally for child abuse / neglect. People who have illnesses related to tobacco use should be required to pay for the treatment of those diseases. People whose illness can be attributed to substance (including alcoholism) should also be required to pay for their treatment.

Don't hate me for feeling this way, just give some thought to what these preventable vices contribute to the overall cost of healthcare. Would lasering these things make healthcare affordable for those of us who choose to live healthier lifestyles?

Parents who allow their children to become overweight (morbidly obese) should be charged criminally for child abuse / neglect. People who have illnesses related to tobacco use should be required to pay for the treatment of those diseases. People whose illness can be attributed to substance (including alcoholism and obesity) should also be required to pay for their treatment.

Underlined is my own addition

Let the corperations that make the money from the substance share the cost of health care

The issues you pointed out were the same issues I had problems with as well. I just feel that he did some of the things I had hoped for and decided that we might fare better than we would have under the alternatives.

agreed. and that's why i'm glad obama won.

"Face punches are an essential character building part of a martial art. You don't truly love your children unless you allow them to get punched in the face." - chi-conspiricy
"When I was a little boy, I had a sailor suit, but it didn't mean I was in the Navy." - Mtripp on the subject of a 5 year old karate black belt
"Without actual qualifications to be a Zen teacher, your instructor is just another roundeye raping Asian culture for a buck." - Errant108
"Seriously, who gives a **** what you or Errant think? You're Asian males, everyone just ignores you, unless you're in a krotty movie." - new2bjj